517 creations

link love: 03.10.2012

2012-03-10T08:30:00.001-06:00

Whew! Where has this last week gone? I realized late last night that I had not posted one time this week…sorry about that! I have some projects to show you next week – including the “after” of the guest bathroom and my thrift store lamp showing some new colors.

Source: bridgeywidgey.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Speaking of showing some new colors, I love this desk redo over at BridgeyWidgey! She took a $20 thrift store desk and turned it into this beautiful piece for her office!

Source: beingbrook.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

We are slowly entering the Lego craze at our house…Grayson especially loves the mini figures. I love this golf-ball-holder turned mini fig storage from Being Brook. I’m now on the lookout for one at my local thrift stores!

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

You will never guess what these cute boxes started out as…plain, old cardboard boxes! They definitely rival the cute (but expensive) canvas storage bins from PB Kids!

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I will definitely be trying my hand at this carrot cake recipe by Mique over at Thirty Handmade Days…it sounds delicious!

Have you found anything great on the blogs this week? Are your Pinterest boards exploding? If you’re interested in my pins, be sure to check them out here.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

link love: 03.03.2012

2012-03-03T12:01:00.001-06:00

Is anyone else ready for Spring? We have had such a mild winter, so it seems silly, but I have Spring fever! Here are a few “springy” ideas from around the blogs this week:

Source: makeandtakes.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Painting rainbows using paper plates and coffee filters…we just saw a beautiful rainbow this week!

Source: landeeseelandeedo.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Don’t you love this beautiful, simple St. Patrick’s Day mantel? The painted “rainbow” of boards is such a cool statement that could apply to a lot of different seasons just by changing the paint colors.

Source: landeeseelandeedo.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Here’s the cute Lucky printable by LandeeSee LandeeDo that she featured on her mantel.

Source: littlewondersdays.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Great idea for shaving cream Easter Egg crafts to do with your kiddos!

What about you? Are you ready for Spring or still holding on to the last bits of winter?

questions and answers…

2012-03-02T14:57:00.001-06:00

I often have questions asked in the comments and although I try to reply back to each one, some slip through the cracks or don’t have an e-mail attached so I can’t reply. So, I thought I’d answer a few recent questions in this post…

Roxie asked: Hi I love your idea! But what do the numbers mean? Is it 1 inch thickness X 6 ft tall x 8 inches wide? Your help will be greatly appreciated. (on Ruler Growth Chart: Pottery Barn Knock Off)

Roxie, you’re right! The wood is labeled 1 inch thick, 8 inches wide, and 6 feet tall…except those aren’t the exact measurements. Did you know that the measurements that lumber is labeled by when it’s sold aren’t the finished measurements? A 1x8 is actually about 3/4 of an inch by 7 and 1/4 inches. It has something to do with the measurement taken when it’s rough cut (when the lumber is cut from the logs) versus when the lumber has been dried and planed. Crazy, huh? So if you’re needing precise measurements for a project, be sure to take that into account when you’re purchasing your lumber! Just some interesting (and random!) facts from the daughter of a man who owns a lumber company. :)

Meghan, Ali, Cathy, SLP, and several other have asked: I love this printable!! I'm going to use it in our baby's nursery!!! Is it only 8x10 or can I print it 8.5x11??…This is one of my favorite songs and bible verses. Can I get a 12x12 version of it?…so beautiful... either the way you have written it or as a direct biblical quote... it is awesome either way... is there any way to do it in a 5 x7 size? thanks so much!..and downloaded it... is there a way to change the colors on the edge? (on {blessings} printable...)

I get LOTS of requests to customize my printables for readers. I’ve decided to open up any printables for customization for a small fee for my time. If you’d like a custom size or color, please send me an e-mail (517creations@gmail.com) and I’d love to work with you!

Jessica and Welcome to Our Story asked: I also love the ruler and the ABCs. Any chance you found out where they're from?…Hi, I think the ruler is awesome, but I’m also really interested in the ABC/animal pictures on the wall in your playroom. I’d love to do something like that in our nursery. Would you mind telling me how you did it...did you buy them like that or print pictures yourself? How did you attach them to the wall? thanks so much! (on Ruler Growth Chart: Pottery Barn Knock Off)

I found these flash cards at Michael's in the scrapbooking section. With a coupon, they only ended up being a little over $4! Amazon also sells these if you're interested! They are super cute, with relatively muted colors, and awesome animal facts on the back!

Given my "decorating ADD", I knew that I didn't want these to be a totally permanent fixture in the playroom, but I wanted them to stay put until it was time for me to take them down. :) I was looking for a different type of mounting strips, but came across these Reusable Tabs from Scotch. They are AWESOME! They are specifically for "lightweight mounting" but would be perfect for hanging posters, etc. AND you can reuse them! These ended up costing a little more than the cards (I think they were around $6), but that's a good price considering you can reuse them!

Lori asked: Great way to organize all of those art supplies! Love your wall color, too! What is it? (on our art center…)

The wall color is Monroe Bisque by Benjamin Moore. We have it in most of the “open areas” of our home and I love it! It’s a great neutral color that looks great paired with crisp, white trim.

Do you have any questions that you’d like answered? Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail and I’d be happy to answer! Happy Friday!

decisions, decisions…

2012-02-29T14:39:00.001-06:00

This morning has been devoted to paint swatches for my little bathroom redo and the stripes in our entryway. Who knew it was so hard to find the perfect light blue color? Here are the swatches I have taped on the bathroom wall right now…

And who knew how hard it was to take a picture in a smallish bathroom with no natural light?! I’m leaning towards Benjamin Moore’s Bird Egg or Sherwin Wiliam’s Upward. They both definitely look muted in this photo, so here are the swatches from the websites.

As for the stripes in the entry, the walls are currently Monroe Bisque – which I love – so I’m going to paint (3 or 5) stripes that are a few shades lighter than that. The only problem is the Benjamin Moore doesn’t put “shades” on their paint cards, only complementary colors. But, I think I’m liking the Monterey White that’s on the card with it.

Let’s take a vote…Bird’s Egg or Upward? Leave me a comment with your vote!

a little change of plans…

2012-02-27T16:39:00.001-06:00

My 12 in 12 project for February was to spruce up Grayson’s bathroom (which also serves as our guest bathroom) just a bit. It turns out that the bathroom is going to get a coat of paint and some new shelves, too!

I have been wanting to paint the bathroom but thought I’d wait until later on in the year. But, after seeing this awesome bathroom remodel on 320 Sycamore and totally falling in love with the look of the shelves over the toilet, I came up with a plan. I listed the old bathroom cabinet on Craig’s List and decided that if it sold, I’d use the money to paint the bathroom and add new shelves. The cabinet sold in less than 3 hours!

So, the wall that used to look like this:

Now looks like this:

And will hopefully have shelves like this soon:

We are going to try our hand at building these shelves:

I will also be buying some white frames for a few fabulous art prints that I received for the bathroom. I can’t wait to share those and the giveaway that will go along with them!

I’m still searching for a good light blue paint color. Do you have any suggestions? Leave me a comment!

link love: 02.25.2012

2012-02-25T09:47:00.001-06:00

I have about 342 projects that I have either started or thought about starting…I’m going to try to tackle a few of those this weekend! I’ll be using this first link to check one of those projects off of my “to FINALLY do list”.

Source: isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I have 4 days left to work on my "12 in 12" for this month and am totally inspired by these shelves. Maybe I'll take down the cabinet in Grayson's bathroom and add simple shelves! That would definitely require patching up some holes and painting the bathroom...hmmm.

Source: 320sycamoreblog.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Another project that is currently underway is rearranging our guest room which also serves as my sewing room. It’s been a wreck for a while, since we moved the queen-sized bed from the guest room into Grayson’s room. We have a beautiful, old Jenny Lind-style bed that’s now set up in the guest room. I’ll post pictures once everything is organized…maybe in 2013? Ha! Anyway, these pleated pillows would look beautiful on our guest bed.

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

How is your weekend looking? Do you have 342 unfinished projects, too?

a sneak peek…

2012-02-23T16:26:00.001-06:00

We have been blessed with beautiful weather here in Missouri for the last two days, so I’ve been spray painting up a storm. Here’s a sneak peek of the thrift store brass lamp that I showed you here. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish it up and show you the finished product in the next few days!

How has the weather been where you live? Snowy or flip flop-worthy?

the hunger games…

2012-02-22T15:50:00.001-06:00

Have you read the Hunger Games trilogy yet? I had several people suggest that I read them and once I started the first one, I could NOT PUT THEM DOWN! The books are definitely a little intense but so, so good. They are so well-written that I literally stayed up until 2 and 3am until I finished all of the books.

The first movie, The Hunger Games, opens on March 23 and I can’t wait! We will be on a ski trip with about 30 other people and some of us are really hoping that the theater is hosting a midnight showing! For anyone else who is excited about the movie or who is planning to have a movie watching party, check out these amazing printables by Amy over at Living Locurto.

Pop over to Living Locurto to download the awesome party printables!

So are you Team Peeta or Team Katniss? Read the books and can’t put them down or haven’t even heard of them?

i love stripes…

2012-02-20T16:16:00.000-06:00

In order to add a little interest to our entry way, I am thinking of painting stripes on one wall. The current paint color is Monroe Bisque by Benjamin Moore and I’d like to paint wide stripes in a color about 2 shades lighter than that. Here is some inspiration from around the blogs.

Source: theletteredcottage.net via Mary Jo on Pinterest

The beautiful striped Reading Room at The Lettered Cottage

Source: theinspiredroom.net via Mary Jo on Pinterest

The look I'm going for, although a little more “tone on tone” stripes instead of the more bold ones above…

Source: abodelove.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Great gallery wall on a striped wall…

Source: theinspiredroom.net via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Tips on painting crisp stripes, which I’m hoping will work on our textured walls. It looks like her walls are textured, too, so I’m hopeful!

What are your thoughts on stripes? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

things I love…my Shark Steam Mop

2012-02-16T10:52:00.002-06:00

This is what blogging has done to me, y’all…as I was using my steam mop this morning I thought, “Oh, I so need to do a post on my love for this mop.” Let me say that the lovely people at Shark have no earthly idea who I am or that I’m posting this…I just wanted to share something that I love (much like these awesome candles).

One of my favorite things in our house is the laminate flooring that covers almost all of our open spaces – the laundry room, kitchen, living room, entry way, and hallway. It’s a beautiful, wide-planked, dark reddish-brown floor that has a hand-scraped look. My husband actually chose this color and I conceded. I wanted a different color (I can’t even remember which one) but am SO glad that we went with his choice. The only downside to the floors? Cleaning them without showing streaks. Until I used this Shark Steam mop. It cleans them PERFECTLY and without streaks!

My mom bought me this steam mop for my birthday, when it was on super sale at Target during their Black Friday sale. I know I’m old when I start asking for cleaning products for my birthday. Ha! It normally runs about $79 which is definitely worth it, in my opinion. You don’t need any cleaners, just water, and the cleaning pads are washable. So much better than the ~~disgusting~~ heavy mop and bucket.

Do you have any favorite cleaning products? Do you have Shark Steam mop? Love it or hate it?

the best sugar cookie recipe ever…

2012-02-14T09:26:00.001-06:00

Pin It

After trying several sugar cookie recipes, I am convinced that I have found the best sugar cookie recipe ever! They’re not too sweet, roll out PERFECTLY (because of a little trick), keep their shape very well, and aren’t too chewy or too crisp. Sounds good, right? They do have a very interesting ingredient for sugar cookies, a half cup of sour cream. I don’t know what it does to the cookies but it works!

I also always use a glaze icing for these cookies. It’s a super easy recipe that pipes and floods well. I think it’s tastier than royal icing and dries with a nice shine, as opposed to the matte finish of royal icing.
Here are the recipes for you:

Vanilla Butter Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

*Use regular sour cream, not reduced fat!

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cut butter into cubes and cream together with sugar until light in color. Add egg and mix well. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and mix well. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix well.

Divide the dough into fourths and scoop onto wax paper. Make 4 individual packets of dough and wrap up. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Open 1 packet of dough and place another piece of waxed paper on top. Roll out dough between the waxed paper. This makes it SO much easier to roll and prevents having to flour your surface and rolling pin. Way less mess to clean up! I usually roll these cookies to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Be sure to keep your packets of dough in the fridge until you’re ready to roll them out.

Cut out cookies and place in freezer for 10 minutes. This step is important because it prevents the cookies from spreading in the oven – it helps them hold their shape well.

Remove cookies from freezer and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 7-10 minutes until the edges of the cookies look very slightly brown. Cool completely on counter or wire rack.

*The dough (in an air-tight container) will keep for 2 days in the fridge or in the freezer for a few weeks.

Glaze Icing

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 light corn syrup

1 Tablespoon clear vanilla

*I use regular vanilla, but use clear if you’re wanting a white icing

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together on low speed for 3 – 4 minutes using a paddle attachment. Depending on how thick or thin you’d like your icing, you might need to add water. Just add it A LITTLE at a time! Once your icing is mixed, separate into bowls and add the desired coloring.

I usually ice these the day before I want to package them up and leave them out on the counter to set up.

Do you have a favorite sugar cookie recipe? Try these and let me know how it compares!

ETA: I wrapped these up in cute little cupcake boxes (found at good, ol' Walmart!!) for Grayson's preschool teachers. Here is my instagram picture of how they turned out...I LOVE that sweet 4-year-old signature. :)

P.S. I love to answer your questions in the comments but can't reply if you're a no-reply blogger! Cassie over at Hi Sugarplum! has a great tutorial on how to fix this bloggy problem!

Linking up to:

Dear Lillie's Valentine Linky Party
Wednesday's Wowsers at Oopsey Daisy
Once Upon a Weekend
Made by You Monday

fabulous fonts for friday…

2012-02-10T15:59:00.001-06:00

Do you love fonts as much as I do? I am always on the look out for a new font to add to my collection. I thought I’d share some fabulous fonts once or twice a month on Fridays. Some of these fonts are new to me and some are “tried and true” fonts that I used all the time.

I’ve included the links below the fonts. Here’s the first edition:

Pin It

Cicle, Combustion, Fontleroy Brown, Grutch Shaded, Learning Curve Pro, Learning Curve Dashed Pro,

Print Clearly, Quaver, Tightrope, Wendy Medium

Do you have any "go to" fonts that you use a lot? Leave a comment with the name!

Grayson's bathroom inspiration....

2012-02-07T09:49:00.001-06:00

Is it Tuesday already? Really? My "I'll be back tomorrow" line from Thursday's post and turned into "I'll be back 5 days later". So sorry, y'all. It's been a long 5 days with a sick boy, some antibiotics for me, and my husband being gone for a few days on a trip with the students. Couple that with a SuperBowl party extravaganza and here we are on Tuesday...ugh.

Let's start with what we already have in the bathroom that is staying. I made the shower curtain using a brightly-colored flat sheet from Walmart. Here's a better picture of the colors in the sheet...

I need to trim the curtain down a little on the sides so it's less "bunchy" and lies a little flatter when stretched all of the way out, but I love the little bit of whimsy it brings in since this bathroom also serves as our guest bathroom.

The BATH letter hooks are staying, but I'm going to move them down a bit on the wall so the kiddo can actually hang up his own towels. I'm going to add some art above the hooks. Maybe something like these?

Source: etsy.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Grayson would love these if we replaced "Jedi Knights" with "Cowboys".

Source: etsy.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

These are CUTE! But I'm totally okay with splashing, so we could leave that one out. :)

I'd usually just paint the room to add more color but I'm thinking with the addition of some art and colorful towels to hang on the hooks, we'll have plenty of color and still have the neutral wall color (Monroe Bisque). Because we all know the re-decorating bug will bite me again in the future! Ha!

I've got a few more ideas for the room, but you'll have to wait for the reveal at the end of the month!

Do you have any great kid's bathroom ideas? Have you pinned any cute bathroom art lately?

12 in 12...february's project

2012-02-02T11:15:00.000-06:00

February's 12 in 12 project is spicing up our guest bathroom, which also serves as Grayson's bathroom. Here is what it looks like in all it's tan, white, and striped glory...

The view from the hallway.

I love these letter hooks that I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby last year.

Not sure what happened to the hand towel...I'm guessing Grayson used it to dry off something (probably one of his little horses or "skateboard guys") he was washing in the sink. Just keeping it real, folks!

This is definitely not going to be a remodel at all...we just need to add some pops of color and spice it up a little! I'll be back tomorrow to share some of my ideas and inspiration!

Have you done a little "spicing up" in one of your rooms lately? Pinned any great kid bathrooms that are still "guest friendly"? Do share!

12 in 12...january's reveal!

2012-01-31T15:24:00.003-06:00

My 12 in 12 project for January was to tackle the playroom and I'm excited to reveal the shelves that my husband and I built!

We used my inspiration shelves as a jumping off point and built these to fit the play room and fit our needs. The shelves are made out of 1 x 12 pine (be careful when you're buying wood because the wood doesn't actually measure 12 inches wide!) which we had cut to size at Lowe's and screwed together with wood screws. We used cleats to hold the shelves in place, which are just 1x2s cut to size and screwed into the sides. The shelves are then attached to the top of the cleat.

After all of the construction was complete, I sanded everything down and filled the knots, holes, and imperfections with wood fillers. The edges were all caulked and then I painted 4, yes FOUR, coats of white semi-gloss paint. I just used Valspar's white semi-gloss paint off of the shelf and loved it!

We attached 2 more 1x2s to the back of the shelf and screwed that into the studs to secure the book shelf to the wall. It's not going anywhere!

I added the green baskets (from the Dollar Tree) that were on the previous shelves in the playroom, along with the new bins that I bought at IKEA. I'd like to get 2 more of the white bins to put along the bottom shelf and 3 more green baskets to fill in the middle shelves.

I have a few more projects up my sleeve to "decorate" it a little more, including adding a few more frames to the wall for Grayson's art. The 4 frames are just leaning for now but will get hung back up in the near future.

I think that Scott and I did a pretty good job for it being the first piece of furniture we have built together! If you have any questions about specifics on the book shelves, feel free to leave a comment!

I will be back tomorrow with February's 12 in 12 project!

Have you ever built a piece of furniture with your husband or by yourself? What are your secrets?

**I'm linking this project over at:

handprint valentine hearts...

2012-01-30T20:03:00.000-06:00

this is a post that I published on Worthy of the Prize last year but thought it was a good time to post it here! And yes, we definitely made these last year even though I dated it 2010! Ha!

It’s almost February and you know what that means...time to make valentines! Since Grayson is still small, I love any craft that involves his hand print! Our valentines are headed to Grayson’s grandparents who all live pretty far away. So, if you’re one of his grandparents, stop reading now. :)

We took advantage of a little down time and made ours a little bit early. Here’s what you need to make these handprint valentines:

Paper: We used watercolor paper, because we had it on hand and it’s a little thicker than regular cardstock so it might have a chance of holding up in the mail.

2 colors of washable paint: This is the paint that we used. You could use poster paint if you have older kids, but why take the risk of having red paint stain your kiddos’ cute clothes?

Baby wipes: it helps to have these handy to wipe the paint off when you’re done with the first handprint.
Paint brushes

Paint one of your child’s hands and press it onto the paper. (It works best to have your child hold their fingers close together.) Repeat this step for as many valentines as you need to make. Let the first handprint dry!

Grayson’s handprints didn’t take long at all to dry, using the paper and paint that we did.

By the time we printed the last of our 8 valentines, the first was already dry.

Using your second color, paint your child’s other hand. Overlap your child’s fingers on the first handprint, making a heart.

Let your valentines dry. Now the possibilities are endless!

If your child is older, have them write the things he loves about his grandparents around the edge of the “heart”.
Choose a “love” Scripture to write around the edge.
Write a little Valentine’s Day message and date it.
These would also make a cute keepsake if you pop them in a frame like we did.

Hope this helps you get a head start on your Valentine’s Day gifts!Do you have any cute ideas for handmade valentines?

thrift store brass lamp…

2012-01-27T19:30:00.000-06:00

Have you noticed the trend among our beloved blogdom to find a cheap brass lamp at the thrift store, add a little spray paint, recover the shade (or buy a drum shade), and end up with a beautiful creation? Yeah, so have I. And everyone in Southwest Missouri must have, too, because I have gone from thrift store to thrift store in search of the glorious brass lamp and had NO luck. Until today…

I was walking around an antique ~~junk~~ store in town and found this little beauty tucked back into one of the antique ~~junk~~ booths. I was sure that the price tag would read $30, as most of the tags on the lamps had, but I’m pretty certain that angels sang as I read the price tag and it said $4!I said little beauty, but it’s actually about 30 inches tall.

I plan to spray paint the base of the lamp and change up the shade. I’d love to buy a drum shade for it at some point, but recovering the shade will work for now. My question is what color should I paint it? I’m thinking that it’s going to go on top of the black dresser in our entry way to replace the too small table lamp that’s currently sitting there.

Turquoise?

Source: akadesign.ca via Mary Jo on Pinterest

White?

Source: 320sycamoreblog.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Green?

Any other color suggestions? Have you made over a sassy brassy lamp?

sensory bins, beans, and a number game…

2012-01-26T14:14:00.001-06:00

Another one of Grayson’s favorite things to do at his art center is to make a quick sensory bin. He picks a tub (this one happened to be one that I recently bought at IKEA) or bin, I dump dried pinto beans in, and he grabs his basket of tractors and trucks to “drive” in the bins.

We will also use different measuring cups, spoons, and containers to scoop, pour, and transfer the beans. It’s a great “inside alternative” to a sand box. Grayson will sit and drive, pour, and scoop for at least 30 minutes! This is a great activity for the 4-5 o’clock hour when you’re trying to get dinner ready and your kiddos have already played with every.single.toy they own.

Another activity you can do while you have the beans out is to make a quick “number game”. I divided a large piece of paper into 10 sections and wrote numbers 1-10 in the squares. Grayson then counted out the appropriate number of beans for each square. Such a quick and easy “game”, but it’s a great way to reinforce counting and number recognition. We’re going to try this with the alphabet, too.

Do you have any “go to”activities when your kids are bored with all of their toys or when they’re stuck inside?

play dough…

2012-01-23T14:30:00.001-06:00

One of the activities that Grayson enjoys doing the most at his little art center is playing with play dough. While we were playing the other day, I came up with a list of things to do with play dough…for those days that my brain just isn’t quite engaged (meaning I haven’t had a cup of coffee yet!). I plan to print this list out and put it in the basket where the play dough is kept. It’s also a good reminder of things to do for dads and baby sitters!

I know that a lot of moms hate to drag the play dough out because of the mess. It cleans up great off of our laminate floor, but if you don’t have that option, you could put a vinyl table cloth under your child’s chair to catch some of the mess. I’ve also seen some mommas that put down place mats if they’re nervous about the table getting play dough on it. Do you have any great suggestions for keeping the mess at a minimum?

Want to know a little bit more about preschoolers and play dough? Here is an excellent article (it’s a few years old but still applies) outlining the ways that play dough helps to address and reinforce a lot of early learning standards.

**I had every intention of posting this last week (following the art center post) but ended up with a sick little boy on my hands. He’s feeling much better this week!**

our art center…

2012-01-17T13:11:00.001-06:00

Although we’ve had a mild winter so far, I’m preparing myself for the snow (or ice) that’s sure to come our way when we least expect it. After all we did have 2 feet of snow in February last year!

One of the things that I’ve been doing is sorting out and organizing all of Grayson’s “art” supplies to make sure that we have plenty of things to do when it’s cold outside. He loves to draw and color, but it’s nice to have different things ready to pull out at a moment’s notice! I thought I’d dedicate the next few posts to a few art projects or ideas to do with our kiddos when winter strikes. First up, our art center…

When we moved in, we had a random little wall just outside of the playroom and just on the other side of the desk area in our kitchen. It was the perfect place to put this table and chairs that a friend gave us. It’s definitely not the most “decorated” area of our house and it’s not going to earn any design accolades, but we strive to have a very kid-friendly home (after all, it is his home, too).

This little art center has turned out to be one of my favorite places in the house, at least in terms of practicality. There’s no worry about cleaning up messy projects because the table sits on top of our laminate flooring. Play dough, paint, and other “messy” items clean up easily.

To make it easier to reach the art supplies but keep them off the table, I hung a little towel bar (found at Ikea) and some little red pails from the Target Dollar Spot. We keep crayons and markers in these little buckets. I know it’s a little risky to keep these items out all of the time, but Grayson uses them as they are intended…not to color on the walls or furniture. If that’s an issue in your house, this might not be the best idea for you! But it works for us.

It’s amazing how much this little space gets used, simply because the supplies are always out and at the ready.

Here's a little photo of our art center in use.

Do you have a spot in your home dedicated to crafting for your kiddos? Or is your kitchen table always ready for a little coloring or crafting session?

ikea steals and deals…

2012-01-14T12:48:00.001-06:00

My husband and I, along with a group of college students, left on New Year’s Day to drive 12 1/2 hours to Atlanta. It was an awesome week that I’ll definitely share about in the future. One afternoon Scott and I had a quick little date at Ikea. Ikea is one of my favorite places to shop for home décor but the closest one is in Dallas. :( I wanted to grab a few storage containers for the playroom update and ended up grabbing a few extra things, too.

MÅLA Drawing paper roll: $4.99
Almost 100 feet of drawing paper for a little over $5 (with tax). They also have a nifty table-top paper holder for $6.99 which I wish I would have grabbed!

PRUTA Food saver: $3.99
A set of 17 food storage containers! These aren’t as “thick” as regular Tupperware containers, but they’re heavier than the Gladware-type containers. They are great for replenishing the cabinet of mismatched lids and containers.

TROFAST Storage box, white: $4.00
I bought 4 of these storage boxes to add to the soon-to-be built bookshelf in the playroom. They are a little more translucent than it looks in the picture, but they are SO sturdy! You can find them in several different sizes and colors. The boxes do not come with a lid, but a lid can be purchased separately for $1. They were out of lids at the Atlanta location, so I’m planning to pick some up at the DC IKEA when we visit our families in a few weeks.
This was a super quick trip and I didn’t bring my camera along with me. I’m planning a longer trip at the DC IKEA and will definitely tote my camera along!
Do you have any favorite IKEA finds or must-have items to pick up when you’re shopping there?

playroom inspiration...

2012-01-12T09:48:00.000-06:00

We woke up this morning to a beautiful blanket of snow...not too much, but enough to cover everything and make Grayson gasp in delight as he looked out the window. What is it about snow that makes me want to simply stay still inside our cozy brick house and drink my coffee while watching the tiny little flakes fall?

Today is a perfect day for a little playroom inspiration. The colors that we are using in the playroom are:

Here are some of the ideas that I have "pinned" as inspiration.

Source: nineandsixteen.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I showed you these fabulous shelves from Nine & Sixteen the other day. I love how they are used to house the toys and books but are still definitely functional for a piece of furniture in the future.

Source: nineandsixteen.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Here's a wider shot of the same bookshelves. I love the orange lamps and the art above the shelves. I am on the look out for a pair of lamps that I can spray paint orange.

Source: hollymathisinteriors.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I love everything about this playroom by Holly Mathis. The colors she used are similar to my "inspiration" colors. Definitely going to incorporate a pennant banner somewhere in the room. Don't you love the chipper fabric she used for the curtains?

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Shawn on Pinterest

I'm thinking of adding chicken wire to the wall that the art display frames are currently hanging on. It would be a great way to continue to add Grayson's art to the wall without being constricted by adding more frame. Maybe hang the frames on top of the chicken wire to add that pop of color, too?

We already have all of Grayson's toys sorted into baskets and buckets, but they are lacking labels. I am definitely going to create some like this with pictures of the toys that belong inside.

Source: christaquilts.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I'd love to make curtains for the play room out of this fabric, and even had it in my cart on fabric.com several times, but never could commit to it. Being a former teacher, I love the alphabet but I'm wondering if there isn't a better "long term" option. Maybe some type of stripe?

There you have it! Scott and I are planning to work on the book shelves this weekend...I'll let you know how that turns out.

Do you have any great playroom inspiration or suggestions? I'd love to know your thoughts!

finding the source…

2012-01-09T17:05:00.001-06:00

Do you have a photo saved on your computer but can’t remember the original source? Did you find a pin on Pinterest that you love, but the pin doesn’t take you back to the original blog post? Have a pre-Pinterest inspiration folder on your computer that you’d love to pin but have the foggiest idea of where you found the photos?

In my 12 in 12 post, I posted a photo that I loved and am using for inspiration for Grayson’s playroom – but I couldn’t find the original source. Well, I got a fabulous tip from a reader, Jennifer of Sweet Pea Stitches blog.

How awesome is that?

Here is a little visual “tutorial” for you…start off by going to www.google.com.

Many thanks to Jennifer and her awesome tip!

12 in 12

2012-01-07T15:48:00.001-06:00

I recently saw this idea on the London Reid blog and thought it was such a twist on New Year’s resolutions.

Amber explained the 12 in 12 idea like this:

“…this year instead of making 1 New Year's resolution, I will be making 12. One for each month in 2012. On the first of each month, I'll post about that month's resolution and also share how I did with the previous month.”

Don’t you love that idea?!

January’s project for my 12 in 12 is going to be to update and organize the playroom. It’s one of the first rooms that you see when you enter our home and I’d love for it to be a place that Grayson loves to play (which he already does!) but also be organized and avoid looking like the room threw up toys. Anyone else have a playroom like that?

Here is what the room looked like before we bought the house. We removed the wallpaper, painted, replaced the carpet, and took down the spindly half-walls which opened the doorway up a lot more. It’s a great room with great potential.

This is what that same wall looked like last month – before we sold the couch and book shelves.

I made some “alphabet flash card art” last year for this wall. I still love how it looks, so it’s staying!
The plans right now are to build a 9 foot long book shelf unit for the wall that the couch and shelves were previously on. This is my inspiration:

~~Sadly, I do not have the source for this picture! I came across it on a blog and e-mailed it to my husband without saving the address. If this is your picture, please let me know!~~

Thanks to an awesome blog reader, Jennifer of Sweet Pea Stitches, who pointed me to the source:
http://nineandsixteen.blogspot.com/2010/10/our-house-playroom.html

I love that the shelves will hold lots of toys and books, but is definitely useful after we are out of the playroom stage of our lives.

I’ll be back in the next few days with more inspiration for the play room!

find joy in the journey…

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share a little printable that I designed for my friend, Erin. She blogs over at Worthy of the Prize and is a fellow pastor’s wife. Our husbands were on staff together for a few years and they are dear friends of ours. Erin is an amazing writer so I wanted to share an excerpt of the words she posted along with the printable:

Sometimes it is incredibly easy to find joy in the journey, isn't it?

Love. Engagements. Weddings. New jobs. Healthy babies. The list goes on.

But what about when the journey gets tough? When you just cannot take it anymore and you want to quit.

Anger. Break-ups. Divorce. Lost jobs. Miscarriages. Sickness Death.

It is during these times that you must "choose joy." And believe me, sometimes you have to search for it. And sometimes the holidays can be the hardest. Find God in the little things. Count those blessings that you usually take for granted.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. {James 1:2-4}

May you find joy in your journey in 2012.